The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-05-27
AN AWFUL LDEATHROLL
TWO HUNDRED LIVES DESTROYED
By tho Burniug of tho Paris Opera Com.
ique-A Number OF the Charfcd Itemnins
y Removed Yesterday and Still More to
be Dug Out--The Walls Fall,

ique-A Number OF the Chartcd Isemnins
Removed Yesterday and Still More TO
be Dug Out-The Walls Fall.
PARIS, May 26.-The bodles Of the bal
let dancers who lost their lives by the
burning OF the Opera Comique last night
are lying in heaps in the ruins Of the
theatre.
The fremen ASSERT that many bodies
are lying in the upper galleries. The
number Of persons killed greatly exceeds
the previous estimates.
An excited crowd surrounds the ruins,
which are guarded by military Gordon.
Many distressing scenes are witnessed.
The police authorities state that GO far
as learned seventeen pslaons lost their
lives in last nights fire at the Opera
Comique, and ITO were burned and other.
wise wounded. 1t Is impossible rs vet to
Bearch the ruins, but when this Is done il
is feared that the death list will be aug.
mented considerably. One man from the
fourth gallery ssya that ho escaped only
by walking over the corpses. Further in.
quiries show that tho survivors throw the
blame Of the calamity upon the gGsman,
but this cannot be decided.
Twenty bodies In a terrible mutilated
condition, were recovered this afternoon
from the ruins OF the Opera Comiqus.
The remains are principally those OF
ballet girls, choristere and mechanics.
Five OF the bodies are those OF elderly
ladies and one Of them Is that OF child.
The fremen are lowering some Of the
bodies from the fourth story Of the theatre
by means Of ropes.
Twenty more bodies were recovered
late this afternoon from the ruins OF the
Theatre Comique. Search for tho victims
still continues.
The remains OF three men and two wo.
men were found in stage box where the
victims had taken refuge from the flames,
1t is asCertained that many bodies lie
buried in debris In tho upper galleries,
whence escape was exceedingly difficult.
The government proposes to close several
Paris theatres because of deficiency in
exits. Late this afternoon the bodies OF
Is ladies' in full dress we're found lying to-
gsther at the bottom OF tho s.airs leading
from the second story. These ladies all
had escorts to the theatre, but no remains
OF the men we're found anywhere near the
women. The walls OF the theatre began
falling this evening and Bearch was aban.
noned for the day. The library attached
TO the theatre Was entirely destroyed with
all it's contents, including many valuable
scores. Six thousand costnmes were
burned in the wardrobe.
NEW WORKERS WHO ESCAPED.
Mr.. Charles A. Duvivier, New York
merchant, who with his son was in the
Opera House when the fire broke out,
says that at the first sign OF danger he Rni
bis son arose to leave the theatre. NJ.
Taskin, the tenor. was trying to assure the
audience that there wers no danger, but
the burning stsge belied his words and
nothing could stop the wild panic that set
in Immediately. He thinks that overy-
body in the main auditorium escaped,
though many must have been feartuIly
bruised in the rush. He is positive that
many Of the people in the galleries were
eutfocated.
| Mr.. w. J. AyTes, another New Yorker,
with his wife and daughter and Mr..
Rutter, who occupied box. says that two
minutes OF valuable time was wasted by
those in the audience who needed Mr.
Taskin's advice to retain their sests. 4
panic was inevitable in any event, but
the knowledge Of q last approaching fire
in their resr made the frightened
people crush and push the harder.
The party reached the open air after ter
rIble experience in the panic stricken
crowd, and after many narrow escapes
from being trample! on. Mr.. Myers
thinks the fire must have baen burning
Tor come timo unnoticed, as from where
his party eat the flames were visible some
minutes before the alarm was communi.
Gated TO the audience by the accident
al digcoyery Of ono OF the singsra
N. Taskin sRyG that when he first saw
the ire he thought it was nothing but
what could be extinguished by the EN-.
ployes, and wishing to avert panic he
told the audience TO keep their seAts. In
escaping from tho blaSing building ho seY
many apparently liiees, bodies in the
galleries. About an hour ai;er the fro
was first discovered the crowd in tho
ncighborhood Of the Opera House saw
two men jump from the burning roni into
the ltus Favart. When their dead bodies
were picked up 1t was found that they
were employees Of the theater who had
evidently been cut of from all egress By
the flames and driven to the roof.
An AcToR's STORY.
souacroix, the basso, eacsped by the
window Of the ledge by rope and foil
upon the glass shelter over tho door. His
lace WAS covered with blood. Mile. AS
sally, the first danseuse, waH nearly sulTD-
Gated. Thore Was no time to change
dreeees. They barely escaped with their
lives. Soulacroix says: ain the Grst
scene, during the waltz, every one on the
stage sXw two ChoruB singsra look up. In
raising the eyes We saw the lily burning.
Nnt wishing to give alarm, | dragged
Mile. Merguillier, who WIS playing PhIinc,
oil the stage. Taskin, the tenor, went to
tho front OF the stage and said: Ladies
and gentlemen, don't he alarmed, there ia
no danger. Tho audience, however, Bcc-
ing The FIRE, rushed for the loora, Tho
panic OF the audience wGu increased by
the ladies in bagnoire No. shrieking
The households ! 500 and it WINS nearly
full. There were $50 in the upper CALLER
les who 8hrieked In terror. There was
terrible struggle at each exit. Women
holding their children over their heaiR.
were overcome by the amoko and trSmnled
Oh. All the lishia went out, and except
when there was all EXPLOSION OF vRs nil
was buried In darknoeB,"
The work Of searching for the bodies
was resumed tonight and number
more were exhnmed. Tho official State
ment says tiIat fifty bodies have already
been recovered. 81. Revllion, speaking